Everyone in the Wangfu knew that the master had been in a bad mood lately.

That day, after dealing with Huang Zhao, Hao San led his men to surround Guangyue Platform. The old courtesan, who was used to doing business at midnight, had just fallen asleep when she was dragged up. When she saw the armored men with long knives standing in front of her, her old face turned pale in the morning light.

Hao San announced the name of the Wangfu, and immediately, there was no one who dared to disobey.

After a thorough search, they found all the performers and courtesans, including one who had just fallen into the lowly ranks and was still being trained. Not a single one was left behind.

In the afternoon, when they reported back that they hadn’t found anyone, Cen Yan, who had barely rested after washing up, personally went to Guangyue Platform.

He looked at each person, from dusk until the moon was bright and the stars were few. As the clock ticked away, the sweat on the old courtesan’s back increased, and despite searching through the male courtesans, they still couldn’t find anyone. In the end, even the tall female performer wasn’t spared and was brought before Cen Yan for inspection.

No one was found.

They weren’t inside.

Cen Yan sat silently, his face dark, while the courtyard was filled with the crackling sounds of burning torches.

The sweat on the old courtesan’s back went from wet to dry, then back to wet again.

Hao San, Xu Si, and Liu Qi kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound.

After returning to the capital, the schemes and plots they encountered never ceased, but none of them could get close to Cen Yan. This time, however, not only had he fallen for a love poison, but he had also been schemed against in his own bed… The raging anger inside Cen Yan was unimaginable.

After returning to the residence, both Hao San and Xu Si were punished.

Cen Yan had skipped three morning court sessions in a row, claiming he was recuperating from poisoning. The Crown Prince had sent several messages, probably wanting to apologize in person, but Cen Yan had turned him down.

After several imperial edicts from the Emperor, the two officials from the Crown Prince’s faction no longer sent messages.

But Cen Yan, unusually, went to seek out the Crown Prince again.

If it was the Crown Prince who set up that scheme, it was unlikely, and Cen Yan wouldn’t be unable to figure it out.

But this was the kind of behavior that would irritate the other party. Liu Qi guessed that the master was probably annoyed that the Crown Prince was too foolish to find out the mastermind behind it all for such a long time. He was holding it in, and in the end, he simply blamed it all on the Crown Prince, the host of that day.

Knowing that Cen Yan was burning with anger, those close to him were also being extra cautious, afraid that a careless mistake would offend him.

Cen Yan ordered Liu Qi to investigate, and Liu Qi immediately thought of the courtesan who had disappeared that night.

His heart trembled. After stepping back from the banquet, he felt he had thought wrong. The guests at the Spring Banquet were all sons of officials, preparing to take the imperial examination, and had nothing to do with that courtesan.

Liu Qi was always efficient in his work, and it didn’t take long for him to uncover everything.

“Her name is Zhuang Dongqing, the second son of Lord Zhuang Xingchang, the only illegitimate son of the Zhuang family.”

He dipped his finger in tea and wrote the name carefully.

Cen Yan asked, “Zhuang Xingchang?”

“He’s a sixth-rank official. It’s normal for the master not to remember him; he hasn’t been promoted in many years. The Zhuang family is just an ordinary farming family, with average capabilities, but Lady Zhuang has some background; her surname is Bi, a distant branch of the Bi family.”

Bi, a surname from the Yuan dynasty.

Cen Yan shot a cool glance at the Crown Prince, not expecting that after going in circles, he would end up back here.

The Crown Prince had been paying close attention to Cen Yan’s table. Suddenly being looked at, he tensed up, preparing to face the wrath of the King of Dingxi. His mind raced to come up with a response, but he didn’t see Cen Yan looking at him again.

Cen Yan was watching Zhuang Dongqing,

the young man’s head.

The young man was eating heartily, trying to see his face, but couldn’t.

Cen Yan’s gaze was fixed on Zhuang Dongqing, wondering how he could lift his head in the middle of this. After a cup of tea’s time passed, he was still eating with great enjoyment, and it was impossible for him to lift his head.

Cen Yan glanced over the dishes on the table, which were quite ordinary.

Then he focused on Zhuang Dongqing for a moment… the food was delicious.

Not sure, he decided to try again.

Following Zhuang Dongqing, he ate dish after dish, and to his surprise, Cen Yan ended up adding half a bowl of rice.

It was the most he had eaten in a while, likely due to his recent unhappiness. When he turned the bowl, Liu Qi was also more proactive in serving dishes.

Putting down his chopsticks, Cen Yan looked at the student who was still keeping his head down:

It was confirmed; it was a matter of the person.

• Zhuang Dongqing was stuffed and put down his bowl, burping, feeling full.

He hadn’t had such normal food in a long time.

How to put it, it was just… it tasted like food meant for people.

Tears welled up.

He felt grateful.

As he watched the bowls and plates being cleared away, Zhuang Dongqing even felt a bit regretful that the leftovers couldn’t be packed.

Liufeng, as a servant, had a designated place to eat at the academy. When the others returned, Zhuang Dongqing asked, and the food wasn’t bad.

He stuffed a few more pieces of the newly served meat jerky to Liufeng, then drank some tea to help digest, brushing off a few casual remarks from the students who wanted to chat with him. Suddenly, the drums began to sound—

the cultural exchange of the Spring Banquet had begun.

The venue was large, with tables set up in the center. The servants laid out the writing materials in order, creating a temporary writing desk for the students and scholars to express their thoughts.

The questions were to be posed in several large pavilions scattered around, guided by the academy head. Everyone first gathered in one place to listen to the head explain the rules for posing and answering questions. Zhuang Dongqing had eaten too much and was feeling drowsy, listening from the periphery was no different from the best sleep aid. As he listened, his eyes began to droop, and his head nodded slowly.

For a moment, he felt a gaze on him and struggled to open his eyes, but saw no one looking at him.

Zhuang Dongqing scratched his head, thinking it must be an illusion.

Meanwhile, Liu Qi noticed that Cen Yan was multitasking, answering the academy head while his gaze fell among the students.

Once the rules were explained, the academy head invited the Crown Prince and the King of Dingxi to compose a poem to start things off, citing classics and making references, praising both of their poetic talents as unparalleled.

The Crown Prince was quite pleased and took the brush.

Cen Yan also took it but then handed it to a civil official. The academy head, wanting to say something, hesitated, knowing that Cen Yan had recently executed three officials, and the civil officials were trembling in fear, ultimately remaining silent and bracing themselves to compete with the Crown Prince.

After this little interlude, when Cen Yan looked up again, Zhuang Dongqing was nowhere to be seen.

He raised his gaze and saw a glimpse of a sleeve disappearing around a corner. After pondering for a moment, taking advantage of everyone’s attention being on the Crown Prince who was composing poetry, he quietly left the scene and followed after.

• Zhuang Dongqing was called away by Young Master Ji.

To be precise, it was his servant.

He was already curious about who this Young Master Ji was, and now it was like a sleepyhead finding a pillow, perfectly in line with Zhuang Dongqing’s intentions.

The courtyard was lush with trees, winding around a few bends, and soon the surroundings quieted down, the lively noise of the banquet becoming barely audible.

Zhuang Dongqing’s heart also became tranquil in this serenity.

He stopped near the lotus pond, and the servant gestured for him to go ahead. Behind the bushes, he could vaguely see a figure, which he assumed was some prince. Zhuang Dongqing swallowed hard and steeled himself to step out.

His vision suddenly opened up, the lake’s surface had thawed, and the blue waves rippled gently.

A man in deep blue robes stood by the lake, his wide sleeves fluttering in the breeze.

His seemingly casual stance was also upright, exuding a unique charm.

Turning around, he cupped his hands in greeting towards Zhuang Dongqing, smiling warmly, and called out, “Brother Dongqing, long time no see~”

“……”

Zhuang Dongqing returned the greeting, forcing a smile, and called out, “Young Master Ji.”

He then noticed that the other person was holding a folding fan. Although the weather had warmed up, it was still far from needing a fan, so it must be for the Spring Banquet, where many students were also trying to show off their elegance.

On the other side of the lake, hidden in the bushes, Cen Yan raised an eyebrow.

Young Master Ji?

He didn’t know when Li Yang’s surname had changed to Ji.

Interesting.

“Lady Shufei’s surname is Ji.” Liu Qi whispered.

Nodding, Cen Yan raised his hand to signal him to be quiet.

By the lake, Zhuang Dongqing and Young Master Ji exchanged a few pleasantries, and the incident where Zhuang Dongqing had bumped his head and failed to recognize him was recounted once again.

“Then you don’t remember me either?”

Zhuang Dongqing looked at him closely and shook his head helplessly.

“It’s no problem; we’ve just met again now. In the future, we’ll get to know each other better, and you’ll remember me, Dongqing.”

Young Master Ji smiled, his eyes bright and open, appearing completely sincere.

With just a few words, his cheerful, outgoing, and witty personality was exceptionally vivid.

What was even more rare was his gentle demeanor, making him approachable. Even Zhuang Dongqing, who was on guard, felt a sense of warmth from him, like a spring breeze.

Staring at the smiling young man in front of him, using the phrase “light and clear” to describe him was indeed fitting.

Zhuang Dongqing swallowed hard, the smile imprinted in his mind felt terrifying, and his heart raced anxiously.

“By the way, what’s your servant’s name? I forgot.”

As the words left his mouth, Zhuang Dongqing’s voice was hoarse.

“Oh, he… can also be considered my servant, his name is San De.”

San De…

The name of the sixth prince’s personal eunuch.

The sixth prince, Li Yang, the male lead of this story.

With this realization, Zhuang Dongqing’s heart skipped a beat and then sank heavily.

For a moment, he felt as if the sky had darkened, unsure of the time or place.

It was the male lead.

But in the original text, the male lead didn’t have a character like Zhuang Dongqing by his side.

So, there were two possibilities.

One was that the Zhuang family was implicated in the process of deposing the former crown prince, and he later changed his name and identity to become the male lead’s advisor, staying by the male lead’s side.

The second possibility was that after being implicated, his entire family was executed, and with no one left, he naturally wouldn’t appear again.

Zhuang Dongqing, Zhuang… quickly searched through the plot in his mind, but there was no character with that surname…

Zhuang Dongqing, Zhuang Dongqing, Qing… Qing Shiye…

Qing Xiansheng!

His mind buzzed, as if a light bulb had gone off, and then a flood of information surged in, exploding in his mind.

Advising the male lead, blocking swords and daggers, and preventing forbidden drugs…

There wasn’t a single plot where he wasn’t a punching bag…

A refreshing story.

The male lead was enjoying himself.

Stepping on him as a stepping stone to feel good.

“……”

“…………”

Hiss.

Zhuang Dongqing suddenly lowered his head.

A headache.

Information overload.

All the plots involving Qing Shiye were swirling chaotically in his mind.

“Brother Dongqing?”

“Dongqing?”

Li Yang called him several times, and after shaking his head to force himself to clear his thoughts, Zhuang Dongqing finally heard him.

When he looked up again, Li Yang was taken aback.

For no other reason, Zhuang Dongqing was covered in cold sweat, his face pale.

“Brother Dongqing, you…”

Before Li Yang could finish his sentence, Zhuang Dongqing interrupted, “You flatter me; I’ve never truly known you.”

“Getting to know each other better… our statuses are like clouds and mud apart, so it’s better not to.”

Li Yang was stunned for a moment.

Zhuang Dongqing flatly stated, “What do you think, Sixth Prince?”

Li Yang: “……”

Before Li Yang could say more, Zhuang Dongqing deeply bowed, “I’m not feeling well, so I won’t disturb the prince’s enjoyment.”

After saying that, he didn’t wait for a response and turned to leave.

By the time Li Yang came to his senses and wanted to say something else, he looked up and had already lost sight of him.

Zhuang Dongqing did it on purpose.

He was so angry that he was afraid if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to control himself, and he might offend the male lead even more.

He hurriedly stepped into a small path, distancing himself from people, his chest rising and falling with anger. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but as he did, he realized his eyes were burning, and smoke was coming out of his seven orifices.

So infuriating.

So bullying.

With the identity of Qing Shiye revealed, Zhuang Dongqing also recalled some fragmented memories of his original self at Guangyue Platform.

He was almost certain that the original self didn’t know the identity of the sixth prince, but those who were pouring drinks were clearly aware. It was ridiculous that the original self was still thinking about not getting too close to Young Master Ji, wanting to protect him… simply, simply foolish.

Even if Li Yang didn’t reveal his identity, those from the Crown Prince’s faction wouldn’t dare to force drinks on him.

Once his identity was revealed, as the favored son of a concubine, the worst that would happen would be a scolding when he returned to the palace.

But the original self, muddled and confused, blocked so many drinks, and Li Yang didn’t stop him at all.

Returning to the Zhuang family, it was winter, kneeling in the ancestral hall in thin clothes, suffering from a high fever, being punished, and seeing people bring him vegetarian dishes for so long… it was truly, truly…

Infuriating.

He was so angry.

With a lowly background,

he was supposed to suffer for the male lead, right?!

Damn the story, damn the male lead, damn this cannibalistic feudal society.

“Ah.”

Walking too fast, his foot suddenly hit a stone, and Zhuang Dongqing squatted down in pain, feeling both hurt and angry, even more aggrieved.

He wanted to hold it in, but couldn’t, and tears streamed down.

Why was he so unlucky!

“This young master, are you alright?”

A pair of boots stopped in front of him, and a warm male voice asked.

It was Cen Yan, who had followed him all the way.

Zhuang Dongqing wiped his face and lowered his head, grumbling, “I’m fine, I just really hate this place.”

His mind was already muddled with anger.

Unexpectedly, that voice paused for a moment and replied, “What a coincidence?”

“I’m fed up with this place too.”